Of course! Music is MyFishGuy’s love language. He’s always singing some random lyrics from a song I’ve never heard before. Feeling happy? Music. Feeling sad? Music. In the car? Music. Working on a project? Music. Placido Domingo to Zac Brown Band. Gaither to Third Day. So it is only natural that Music plays a part in our FUNraising events.

We are so excited to host Randy Stonehill – 2010 Christian Music Hall of Fame Inductee – at a concert to benefit National Foundation for Transplants to assist with Bill’s transplant expenses.

The concert is set for Saturday, January 28, 2017, at Bakerstown United Methodist Church in Gibsonia. Three levels of tickets are available. The VIP Treatment ticket is exactly what you would expect from MrsFishGuy. If you have traveled with me to one of the many events over the past 10 years, you know that VIP is always over the top and filled with surprises!

VIP starts at 4:30 pm with reserved parking, Meet & Greet with Randy & Leslie Stonehill, Dinner and then preferred seating for the Concert. Pre-show Dinner Tickets include Dinner and a General Admission Ticket. Dinner? Yes, a delicious dinner served in Fellowship Hall before the Concert.

Let’s begin at the beginning – my husband has always had a fish tank. He was referred to as ‘the fish guy’ in the fish department at the pet store. Got a fish question? Go ask ‘the fish guy’ they would say. What started as a hobby quickly turned into a career. He set up and maintained aquariums for people and businesses in the New England area as The FishGuy.

In 2004, when he relocated to Pittsburgh to marry me, that name was already taken in the PA business registry. So, he changed it to MyFishGuy. I became MrsFishGuy on December 11, 2004, at 6:00 in the evening. The most beautiful day of my life – but that’s a story for another day.

MyFishGuy crafted amazing aquariums with care and concern for each one. His client list was as diverse as the tanks he created. From a top doctor to a rough around the edges bar owner. From a work-at-home Mom to a rarely home business owner.

Fish, he often said, rarely talked back to you. If they do, the advice given to many has been – swim down…go find Nemo! The first rule of fish: Fish die. He’d always caution folks not to name their fish. Because of Rule #1. Fish don’t live as long as kids would like. Fish live too long according to a parent whose child brought home that goldfish from the summer carnival.

When MyFishGuy got sick in 2014, driving became very difficult. He had to retire his Fish business because he just couldn’t ask folks to bring their tanks to him. It’s a good thing he still has two tanks at home and one at my office.

One of the first things the Transplant Team told us to do was to start fundraising for MyFishGuy’s future kidney transplant. We’d need $35,000 to cover expenses for the first year after transplant. Seriously? Okay, then. We need a team to do this and TeamFishGuy was born. This Team is filled with relatives near and far. Old friends and newly made friends. All joining together to support TeamFishGuy. We are so blessed.

Because we had nothing better to do this summer, we moved. Not us, actually. But 3 moves in 45 days. Oldest son came back from the city by the Lake. It’s about time. Over 10 years ago, we sent him off to college and he ended up staying there after graduation. It was less than a two hour drive, but it wasn’t local enough for this Momma. Oldest had just settled into a nice apartment when Middle announced they bought a townhouse! Save those boxes and get ready for Move #2.

Just before Labor Day, Pap ended up in the hospital. He’s very fine now, thanks for asking! But, the experience and the uncertainty created anxiety on the 3 Sibs. Family intervention time. Now that was fun. Another nice apartment was found. Complete with security and one level living. No more snow shoveling. No more grass cutting. No more repairs. Boxes, anyone? Middle and Wife hadn’t even had time to unpack theirs yet. Let’s go through a 2 bedroom home, two levels and take just enough to fill a one bedroom apartment. I’m still unsure if everyone’s blood pressure is back to normal. Who am I kidding? It is not. The closet space. The internet. The television. The freezer. The pictures. The memories. All things that are still being worked out. Maybe by next month.

So, if you are sending a holiday card to anyone in my family, double check the address before dropping it in the box at the Post Office!

Think about your favorite sports team. Now, think about their biggest rival. As a Pittsburgher, the Steelers and Bengals come to mind. Even when I lived in Ohio I never ever brought myself to cheer for the Cleveland or Cincinnati teams. How about Pitt and Penn State? I know that many Pennsylvania family dinners have come to blows over this rivalry.
It’s all about choosing sides. Which side do you side with? Which side are you on? These are all very important questions that have very important answers. We are about to switch sides in our home. Bed sides. As in changing which side of the bed we sleep on each night.
When we were married 11 years ago, we chose sides so that I was the first line of defense against three teens in our home. We’ve made a short term switch before when My FishGuy had his knee replaced. Two weeks and we couldn’t wait to be back on the correct side of the bed.
My FishGuy’s new handy dandy overnight dialysis machine must go over on that side of the room. No problem. Plenty of room over there. With My FishGuy attached to it. Problem. The machine arrives on Friday. We’ve known this switch was coming for over two months. We’ve talked about it and planned it. It’s been on The List for weeks. We just can’t do it. Two nightstands. Two sides of the headboard. A clock. All these things can be moved with a small bit of effort. It’s me that worries me. I’m hoping we survive.

Update: The Switch has happened and we survived. It’s not comfortable yet and definitely not second nature. I go to the wrong side most evenings. When I’m looking for my nail file or polish, I walk past my new side and head for the old side only to come back around.

That handy dandy overnight dialysis machine? It’s not quite as friendly as we hoped. We are on the second machine, the second programmed card and many nights of lost sleep. It’s like having 2 am feedings each hour. It has an obnoxious alarm that goes off every 70-90 minutes throughout the 8 hour treatment. We are hoping and praying this gets better, much better. And soon!

Lists. I’m a List maker. I have a List for this and one for that. A List in the kitchen, one in my purse and one for My FishGuy. Don’t waste a minute of time explaining to me that my phone has an app for that and yes, I could even cross it off on my phone. Doesn’t feel the same as physically taking a pen and lining through it.

My grocery list is an Excel sheet of the items I purchase regularly. A list hangs out on the refrigerator and I simply check mark the box when it needs purchased. Yes, it has plenty of empty spaces to add items in. Yes, it’s arranged by aisle. It feels fabulous to get through the entire grocery store and have nothing left on my list.

Which brings me to the most important List of our lives. The Kidney Transplant List. My FishGuy has been approved and added to the LIST as of April 13, 2016. We are only now beginning to understand exactly what that means. We are counting on our friends and families to come alongside us as this new and exciting adventure begins!